At least five passengers survived the crash of the Mandala Airlines Boeing 737-200 in the Indonesian city of Medan on Monday, the search and rescue agency said. The agency issued a list of people injured following the crash which included the names of five passengers.
Four of the survivors were treated at the Adam Malik private hospital in Medan while another was treated at the Materna private hospital. Their conditions were not revealed.
The plane crashed into a crowded neighbourhood just outside the airport’s perimeter shortly after take-off.
The cause of the crash remains unclear.
Transportation Minister Hatta Radjasa said: ”This is clearly a great tragedy.”
The plane was reportedly carrying 112 passengers and five crew.
The plane crashed minutes after take-off from Medan’s Polonia airport in North Sumatra. Among the passengers were North Sumatra governor Tengku Rizal Nurdin and former governor of the province Raja Inal Siregar.
Mandala executive director Major General Asril Hamzah Tanjung told a press conference that it was expected there would also be victims on the ground.
The plane smashed into a residential neighbourhood and burst into flames.
Mandala Airlines was set up in 1969 and is one of several low-cost airlines that fly across the vast Indonesian archipelago. It is 90% owned by a foundation set up by the army strategic reserve Kostrad. – AFP
